Who’s he? Poll: Most Americans have no opinion on New Jersey Gov. Christie

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is a Republican favorite, but according to a Gallup poll released Monday, 52 percent of Americans have no opinion of him at all. He is slightly better recognized by Republicans, who typically view him in a positive light, but almost half of the party’s poll participants reported having no opinion on Christie.

Though Christie has a staunch following, the Gallup poll suggests that if he ran for president in 2012, he would need to become a better known candidate and gain more support from the right.

Christie has been governor since 2009 and remained in the political spotlight because of his confrontations with teachers, blunt manner of speaking and ability to dominate legislative battles in an East Coast state.

Though many have expressed interest in him as a potential 2012 presidential candidate, Christie has stated several times that he’s “not ready” for the commander in chief position. As The Daily Caller put it in February, “the chase” and political uncertainty boosts Christie’s appeal. But the governor has claimed numerous times that he’s not seeking presidency.

“Listen, you have to believe me when I say to you that you have to feel in your heart and in your mind that you’re ready for the presidency,” Christie said earlier this year. “And there are lots of people who will run just because the opportunity presents itself, and I’m not stupid. I see the opportunity. I see it.”

Christie has even said he probably needs to kill himself to convince others that he’s not trying to become president.

“Short of suicide, I don’t know what I have to do to convince you people that I’m not running. I’m not running,” Christie said in November. “I’m not running.”